DOCSLIB.ORG

Taking Lessons from Silent Spring: Using Environmental Literature for Climate Change

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Taking Lessons from Silent Spring: Using Environmental Literature for Climate Change Article Taking Lessons from Silent Spring: Using Environmental Literature for Climate Change Craig A. Meyer Department of Language and Literature, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA; [email protected] Abstract: Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962) created a new genre termed “science nonfiction literature.” This genre blended environmental science and narrative while ushering in a new era of awareness and interest for both. With the contemporary climate crisis becoming more dire, this article returns to Carson’s work for insight into ways to engage deniers of climate change and methods to propel action. Further, it investigates and evaluates the writing within Silent Spring by considering its past in our present. Using the corporate reception of Carson’s book as reference, this article also examines ways climate change opponents create misunderstandings and inappropriately deceive and misdirect the public. Through this analysis, connections are made that connect literature, science, and public engagement, which can engender a broader, more comprehensive awareness of the importance of environmental literature as a medium for climate awareness progress. Keywords: Rachel Carson; Silent Spring; science; nonfiction; narrative; environment; climate change No witchcraft, no enemy action had silenced the rebirth of new life in this stricken Citation: Meyer, Craig A. 2021. world. The people had done it to themselves. Rachel Carson(1962, p. 3) Taking Lessons from Silent Spring: 1. Introduction Using Environmental Literature for Climate Change. Literature 1: 2–13. In 1958, Olga Owens Huckins wrote a letter to the Boston Herald, which described https://doi.org/10.3390/literature recent aerial sprayings of DDT near her home; she writes, 1010002 The “harmless” shower-bath killed seven of our lovely songbirds outright. We picked up three dead bodies the next morning right by the door. They were birds Academic Editor: Lauri Scheyer that had lived close to us, trusted us, and built their nests in our trees year after year. The next day they were scattered around the birdbath [ ... ]. All of these Received: 6 May 2021 Accepted: 20 July 2021 birds died horribly and in the same way. (qtd. in Williams 2007, “The Moral Published: 29 July 2021 Courage of Rachel Carson”, pp. 135–36) Shortly thereafter, she wrote another letter to her friend Rachel Carson desperately Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral informing her of the event and the dangers of pesticides. Huckins asked Carson if she could with regard to jurisdictional claims in write something about chemical spraying and its harm on wildlife. What Carson wrote published maps and institutional affil- started a new genre of literature and started an environmental movement. As the sixty-year iations. anniversary of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring nears in 2022, her text remains important as we consider the lasting effects of the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the now- annual devastating major hurricanes and wildfires, the ramifications of oil pipelines, and the push for green alternatives for everything from automobiles to the electrical grid. Copyright: © 2021 by the author. Although Carson’s work focuses on chemicals and pesticides, many readers can connect Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. and recognize the larger meaning of how humans interact and even misuse and abuse This article is an open access article the environment. With this then-new genre, Carson sought to awaken governments, distributed under the terms and companies, and people who blindly believed nothing was happening to damage the world conditions of the Creative Commons that we live in. Looking back across these sixty years, we come to realize that the realities Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// are mostly the same; yet, we can consider Carson’s work more critically now and take creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ some lessons from it. 4.0/). Literature 2021, 1, 2–13. https://doi.org/10.3390/literature1010002 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/literature Literature 2021, 1 3 Literature is part of our historical footprint for future societies and cultures to learn from so they can better understand how we were part of our world in our time. We have seen texts change a culture’s thinking. One well-known example is Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which was rumored to be the book that started the American Civil War. Other authors such as Henry David Thoreau, Amy Tan, Plato, Upton Sinclair, Toni Morrison, George Orwell, Gabriel García Márquez, Jane Austen, and Frederick Douglass have shaped how we think and operate in the world, forced us to confront ugly realities, offered us hope about each other, and cautioned us about frightful futures. Carson added her name to this list with Silent Spring. This article considers Carson’s Silent Spring on several levels. First, Carson’s narrative style is investigated along with what others claim she uses. This new genre of literature that blended science, literature, and narrative to create an informed readership was proven effective because of Carson’s credibility and experience. With Carson as guide, readers could act with new knowledge of the dangers of pesticides and other chemicals. They would learn about the science and then understand it through the narrative. It was Carson’s hope that public and political pressure would create new laws, regulations, and protections, and this goal was partly realized. Second, the timing of Silent Spring provides insight into the need for this new genre as well as its effectiveness for that time period. The period provided ample opportunity to generate a range of emotions, but Carson focused on providing readers the facts, which leads to the third section. Carson needed to be certain her research was accurate and accessible to layperson readers. She recognized the influence of the large, powerful companies and corporations that were producing and selling these deadly chemical poisons and how they would respond to the truth being made available to the public. The latter parts of the article focus on the use of emotional appeals by Carson and in relation to the climate change discussion. While Carson suggested a solution of radiation, offered in the last chapter, she provided it while not knowing its outcomes and relying on the hopes and fears of readers, which seems uncharacteristic in relation to the rest of her work. Finally, this article focuses on that hope in relation to where we are presently in the environmental/climate change “debate” and some of the serious concerns of how strong, well-researched texts such as Carson’s serve as insight moving forward. In doing so, the conclusion points to the ways science and the idea of fairness have been distorted at the expense of progress and possibly saving lives. In the end, the realization becomes clear: the human race will either begin to right the wrongs we have done to the planet, or we will continue to make haphazard, feeble, and inadequate attempts to do so, which will ultimately and slowly make the planet inhospitable for life—human life. Books such as Carson’s, that is, well researched and narrative driven, offer a way to communicate effectively to the public in order to drive meaningful action on the climate crisis. 2. A Literary Genre for Its Time Like Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, Silent Spring created its own genre, which might be termed “science nonfiction literature” (Killingsworth and Palmer 2000, p. 175). This science nonfiction literature of hers follows some tenets of fiction writing and storytelling, but also the logical reporting of data common in scientific writings. Even though Carson titles her opening chapter “A Fable for Tomorrow”, she prepares readers, to some degree, for a fictionalized but realistic tale. Conservationist, activist, and author Terry Tempest Williams refers to her work as “storytelling” (Williams 2008, “One Patriot”, p. 18). In fact, some writers have likened Carson to the Romantics (Lytle 2007, p. 134). Although not as idealistic as some Romantics, she does take another route to understanding through emotional appeal and child-like wonder; however, she turns this quickly as chapters progress to a litany of reports about the use of deadly chemicals, pesticides, and toxins. Considering her text deeper, Carol B. Gartner, a biographer of Carson, explains that Carson created a blend of “science and literary art so seamless that the effect is seductive” (Gartner 2000, p. 103). The scale of seduction derives from the science and the fictional imprints, which are balanced by the amount of real data gleaned from hundreds of sources Literature 2021, 1 4 (not unlike what the realities of climate science tells us). Carson’s story becomes more evident with her continual “use of recurrent themes, motifs, and images” that are mainstays in fiction writing (Gartner 2000, p. 104). Carson, who had already established herself as a best-selling author with her earlier works, understood the dynamics of telling a story and the “poetic technique” behind combining complex material with realistic scenarios (Gartner 2000, p. 105). The knowledge of storytelling was certainly in her arsenal since she studied literature at Pennsylvania College for Women and underwent a “struggle to decide whether or not to change her major from English to biology” (McCay 1993, p. 5). Obviously, she chose the latter but maintained the usefulness and proficiency of the former. Carson also presents her text relative to the events of the period and the growing realization of oft little studied or understood chemicals that were being introduced to our communities (and still are). The timing of Silent Spring certainly was on target, because we see the waves of change that it helped usher in, such as a governmental review of pesticide usage and her last public appearance for testimony at one of President John F.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Rachel Carson for SILENT SPRING
    Silent Spring THE EXPLOSIVE BESTSELLER THE WHOLE WORLD IS TALKING ABOUT RACHEL CARSON Author of THE SEA AROUND US SILENT SPRING, winner of 8 awards*, is the history making bestseller that stunned the world with its terrifying revelation about our contaminated planet. No science- fiction nightmare can equal the power of this authentic and chilling portrait of the un-seen destroyers which have already begun to change the shape of life as we know it. “Silent Spring is a devastating attack on human carelessness, greed and irresponsibility. It should be read by every American who does not want it to be the epitaph of a world not very far beyond us in time.” --- Saturday Review *Awards received by Rachel Carson for SI LENT SPRING: • The Schweitzer Medal (Animal Welfare Institute) • The Constance Lindsay Skinner Achievement Award for merit in the realm of books (Women’s National Book Association) • Award for Distinguished Service (New England Outdoor Writers Association) • Conservation Award for 1962 (Rod and Gun Editors of Metropolitan Manhattan) • Conservationist of the Year (National Wildlife Federation) • 1963 Achievement Award (Albert Einstein College of Medicine --- Women’s Division) • Annual Founders Award (Isaak Walton League) • Citation (International and U.S. Councils of Women) Silent Spring ( By Rachel Carson ) • “I recommend SILENT SPRING above all other books.” --- N. J. Berrill author of MAN’S EMERGING MIND • "Certain to be history-making in its influence upon thought and public policy all over the world." --Book-of-the-Month Club News • "Miss Carson is a scientist and is not given to tossing serious charges around carelessly.
    [Show full text]
  • Latest Analytical Requirements to Meet Global Demands in Food Testing
    Latest Analytical Requirements to meet Global Demands in Food Testing Kaushik Banerjee, PhD FNAAS FRSC National Referral Laboratory ICAR-National Research Centre for Grapes Pune 412 307, India E-mail: [email protected] SPS_161116 Challenges in residue analysis • Sample variability (matrix) - High sugar to low sugar - High fat to low fat - High to low water contents • Diverse physico-chemical properties of the target compounds Expectations • high throughput analysis • As many number of analytes as possible • Low levels (<10 ng/g ) • Balancing the performance, cost and speed of analysis SPS_161116 Residue analysis: Compliance to global Regulations Food Market Export Domestic National EUR authorities - Lex European Union eur-lex.europa.eu MHLW Japan http://www.ffcr.or.jp/zaidan/FFCRHOME.nsf/TrueMainE?O penFrameset USFDA USA National www.fda.gov/ authorities AVA Singapore & Malaysia http://www.ava.gov.sg/ SFDA Middle East http://old.sfda.gov.sa/En/Food SPS_161116 Why so much diversity? Food safety concerns are different in different countries There are differences in how food is grown, prepared and consumed across different countries or even within a country Codex standards are generally acceptable Variation in risk incidences Countries may therefore have differing standards. Method sensitivity requirements could vary with regulations SPS_161116 WHY CHEMICAL RESIDUE MONITORING IS INCREASINGLY BECOMING SO IMPORTANT IN ASIAN COUNTRIES? AAU_181016 World map of non- compliance for EU- MRL AAU_181016 EU Alert notifications- trend AAU_181016 Diversified
    [Show full text]
  • Rapid Rise in Toxic Load for Bees Revealed by Analysis of Pesticide Use in Great Britain
    A peer-reviewed version of this preprint was published in PeerJ on 19 July 2018. View the peer-reviewed version (peerj.com/articles/5255), which is the preferred citable publication unless you specifically need to cite this preprint. Goulson D, Thompson J, Croombs A. 2018. Rapid rise in toxic load for bees revealed by analysis of pesticide use in Great Britain. PeerJ 6:e5255 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5255 Rapid rise in toxic load for bees revealed by analysis of pesticide use in Great Britain Dave Goulson Corresp., 1 , Jack Thompson 1 , Amy Croombs 1 1 School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, University of Sussex, Falmer, E Sussex, United Kingdom Corresponding Author: Dave Goulson Email address: [email protected] A strong argument can be made that the European Union has the most rigorous regulatory system for pesticides in the world, and that modern pesticide use poses fewer environmental threats than older regimes. Nevertheless, the impacts of pesticides on bees and other non-target organisms is much debated in Europe as elsewhere. Here we document changing patterns of pesticide use in arable and horticultural crops in Great Britain from 1990 to 2015. The weight of pesticides used has approximately halved over this period, but in contrast the number of applications per field nearly doubled. The total potential kill of honeybees (the total number of LD50 doses applied to the 4.6 million hectares of arable farmland in Great Britain each year) increased six-fold to approximately 3 x 1016 bees, the result of the increasing use of neonicotinoids from 1994 onwards which more than offset the effect of declining organophosphate use.
    [Show full text]
  • Silent Spring at 50: Reflections on an Environmental Classic
    SILENT SPRING AT 50: REFLECTIONS ON AN ENVIRONMENTAL CLASSIC PERC POLICY SERIES • NO. 51 • 2012 BY ROGER E. MEINERS & ANDREW P. MOrrISS Editor Laura E. Huggins PERC 2048 Analysis Drive Suite A Bozeman‚ Montana 59718 Phone: 406–587–9591 Fax: 406–586–7555 www.perc.org [email protected] RECENT EssaYS PERC POLICY SERIES PS-50 Colony Collapse Disorder: The Market Response to Bee Disease Randal R. Rucker and Walter N. Thurman PS-49 Fencing Fisheries in Namibia and Beyond: Lessons from the Developing World Laura E. Huggins PS-48 Designing Payments for Ecosystem Services James Salzman PS-47 Recycling Myths Revisited Daniel K. Benjamin PS-46 Environmental Water Markets: Restoring Streams through Trade Brandon Scarborough PS-45 Two Forests under the Big Sky: Tribal v. Federal Management Alison Berry PS-44 7 Myths About Green Jobs Andrew P. Morriss‚ William T. Bogart‚ Andrew Dorchak‚ and Roger E. Meiners PS-43 Creating Marine Assets: Property Rights in Ocean Fisheries Robert T. Deacon PS-42 Environmental Justice: Opportunities through Markets H. Spencer Banzhaf PS-41 Do Profits Promote Pollution? The Myth of the Environmental Race to the Bottom Robert K. Fleck and Andrew Hanssen ISSN 1094–655 Copyright © 2012 by PERC. All papers are available at www.perc.org. Distribution beyond personal use requires permission from PERC. TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 6 The PerFecT CheMICAL STORM 9 BIRD POPULATIONS AND DDT 14 CANcer FROM PESTICIDES 16 SILENce ON TOBACCO 17 WHAT ABOUT The CHILDreN? 17 ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS & CANcer 20 OVerLOOKED BeNEFITS OF PESTICIDES 23 The OTher ROAD 24 Are CheMICAL PESTICIDES A NeceSSARY EVIL? 25 CONCLUSION 25 REFERENCES 28 cASE CITED TO The reADer By dramatically revealing the potential dangers synthetic chemicals posed to the environment and human health‚ Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962a) served as a catalyst for the modern environmental movement.
    [Show full text]
  • Silent Spring Seemed Unlikely to Manage That
    COMMENT BOOKS & ARTS bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), were becoming rare. Faced with such observations, Carson began to type, marshalling her own soft voice on behalf of the birds. She found her- self considering society’s choices more gen- erally, writing: “The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth super- highway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster.” Seeing that the urge for progress at any cost was driving LIFE PICTURES/GETTY A. EISENSTAEDT//TIME choices about nature, she gave eloquent vent to anger, criticizing indiscriminate spraying with non-selective pesticides that have “the power to kill every insect, the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’, to still the song of birds and the leaping of fish in the streams, to coat the leaves with a deadly film, and to linger on in soil”. Carson’s intent was to trigger change, but on the face of it, Silent Spring seemed unlikely to manage that. It was a beautiful book written by a scientist at a time when scientists were not ‘supposed to’ write beauti- ful books. It was about pesticides, chemistry and society — by a researcher who studied fish. And it concerned the perils of excessive use of pesticides at a time when pesticides were widely believed to be part of the pro- gress of civilization. Yet Silent Spring did not sit quietly. First Rachel Carson launched a global environmental movement with her 1962 call to regulate DDT use. serialized in The New Yorker starting on 16 June 1962, then published in book form, it ignited a flame that raged, bookshelf to book- shelf, around the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Circumpolar Legislation on Pollutants: How Effective Is Arctic Governance on Global Environmental Threats?
    Circumpolar Legislation on Pollutants: How Effective is Arctic Governance on Global Environmental Threats? Doris Friedrich The protection of the Arctic environment was one of the main motivations for establishing the Arctic Council. In the past, the Arctic nations have played a pivotal role for several agreements on environmental protection, such as the Stockholm Convention, which can be considered as a positive example of Arctic cooperation and targeted action. However, not all Arctic States have ratified the Convention and its amendments, which regularly add pollutants to the scope of the Convention. Thus, the environmental legislation in the Arctic states does not catch up with the scientific findings and recognition of these threats. This paper examines the efforts of the Arctic nations towards circumpolar governance and international legislation on pollutants, as well as the consequences and effectiveness of these efforts. A brief comparison of policy initiatives, in particular through a look at U.S. legislation, will serve as an illustration of the development of Arctic environmental governance over time and shed light on differences between Arctic states. An effective governance on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) requires a precautionary approach and the regular adaptation to emerging chemicals of concern. While national initiatives have achieved some success in reducing the production and use of POPs, a more comprehensive approach encompassing a list of pollutants corresponding to state- of-the-art research within a global legislative framework is needed. Introduction Persistent Organic Pollutants or ‘POPs’ are environmentally persistent toxic chemicals, which take a long time to degrade and are transported over long distances. Due to the environmental conditions, they often end up in the Arctic, where different biota can act as sinks and where they can cause considerable damage to the environment and human health.
    [Show full text]
  • Five Reasons to Celebrate the Stockholm Convention
    GLOBAL 12 FIVE REASONS TO CELEBRATE THE SUCCESSES STOCKHOLM CONVENTION By Miriam Diamond, University of Toronto The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) has spawned many individual successes at local and regional scales. We can also celebrate the totality of successes related to the Stockholm Convention. This synopsis lists five reasons to celebrate the successes of the Stockholm Convention. The first success for celebration is that global leaders came together to act on curbing POPs concentrations. The very fact that as of November 2011 we have 176 Parties to the Convention as a global legally binding instrument is a major feat unto itself. The Stockholm Convention gives legitimacy and a plan of action in response to public and scientific concerns that we are causing long-term contamination of ourselves and our environment. More than words, about USD 1 billion have been spent to implement hazardous chemical and waste cluster agreements. Behind this success lies decades of work by innumerable members of the public, scientists and regulators. Rachel Carson, in her historic book Silent Spring published in 1962, was the first to draw attention to pesticides that had toxic effects beyond those intended. Underlying Carson’s plea to protect birds and wildlife from pesticides was the concept of chemical persistence, whereby a chemical could cause toxicity long after its initial release. Not only was Carson a harbinger of the adverse effects of persistent organic pollutants, but she was thrown into a maelstrom of controversy and demonization by the chemical industry, the results of which were ultimately a move to control POPs.
    [Show full text]
  • Biological Pesticides: Biotechnology's Answer to Silent Spring
    Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS Volume 96 Number Article 10 1989 Biological Pesticides: Biotechnology's Answer to Silent Spring Donald H. Dean Ohio State University Let us know how access to this document benefits ouy Copyright © Copyright 1989 by the Iowa Academy of Science, Inc. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/jias Part of the Anthropology Commons, Life Sciences Commons, Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons, and the Science and Mathematics Education Commons Recommended Citation Dean, Donald H. (1989) "Biological Pesticides: Biotechnology's Answer to Silent Spring," Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS, 96(2), 68-70. Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/jias/vol96/iss2/10 This Research is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa Academy of Science at UNI ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS by an authorized editor of UNI ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. )our. Iowa Acad. Sci. 96(2):68-70, 1989 Biological Pesticides: Biotechnology's Answer to Silent Spring DONALD H. DEAN Department of Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 In che 25 years since che publication of Rachel Carson"s Silent Spring che public has come co realize che environmental impact of heavy use of chemical pesticides. To add insult co injury, many insects, including the disease vector, the mosquito, are now virtually resistant co standard chemical pesticides. Biotechnology is now providing a positive response co these dilemmas through che production and development of improved forms of microbial pest control agents: biological pesticides.
    [Show full text]
  • AP Biology / Summer Assignment / Silent Spring by Racheal Carson
    AP Biology / Summer Assignment / Silent Spring by Racheal Carson • All answers will be hand-written. • All answers will be in complete sentences. • All answers will be in blue ink only. • Skip one line between each answer. • Summer Assignment is due on the first day of class. Chapter 1 - A Fable for Tomorrow 1. Explain how the title of the book can be derived from Chapter One. Chapter 2 - The Obligation to Endure 1. Explain the cycle of Strontium 90 when released into the environment. 2. How long does it take for life to adjust to natural environmental hostilities? 3. How do human produced pollutants differ from natural environmental chemicals? 4. Why does Carson believe insecticides should be called biocides? Chapter 3 - Elixirs of Death 1. How were chemical pesticides originally discovered and used? 2. What are some of the dangers of the use of arsenic? 3. Explain how DDT is passed on and concentrated in a food chain. 4. Describe the dangers of the chemical known as dieldrin. 5. What is “potentiation” and why is it a serious hazard? 6. What is a systemic insecticide and how does it work? 7. What does a mutagen do? Chapter 4 - Surface Waters and Underground Seas 1. Describe some ways that insecticides can inadvertently enter human water supplies. 2. What happened in Clear Lake California? 3. How can city water supplies from reservoirs be inadvertently poisoned by humans? Chapter 5 - Realms of the Soil 1. Give some specific examples of how some pesticides can affect the beneficiary components of the soil. 2. What kind of chemical problem affected baby food and peanuts? Chapter 6 - Earth’s Green Mantle 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Persistent Organic Pollutants: General Environmental Problems, Regulations, Toxic Effects and Environmental Levels
    Analysis, fate and risks of organic contaminants in river basins under water scarcity Valencia, 7-8 February 2011 Introduction to Persistent organic pollutants: general environmental problems, regulations, toxic effects and environmental levels Alícia Navarro-Ortega, Damià Barceló IDAEA-CSIC, Department of Environmental Chemistry, Barcelona, Spain ICRA - Catalan Institute for Water Research, Girona, Spain Contamination + + + Human progress Introduction Urban (increased of chemicals Industrial activities population and into the Agricultural development) environment - - - Throughout the twentieth century around 10 million chemical compounds were synthesized worldwide. The global production is around 400.000.000 Tm/year Among the different uses, the more important are: • Industrial applications • Pesticides • Generated in as byproducts in combustion processes, production of chemicals and other industrial processes Persistent organic pollutants Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are organic chemical substances, that possess a particular combination of physical and chemical properties that gives them four characteristics: • Toxicity: they are toxic to both humans and wildlife in acute and chronic exposures • Chronic toxicity properties including: development, reproduction, carcinogenesis, immuno toxicity and neurological changes • Acute toxicity with continuous release/exposure Persistent organic pollutants Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are organic chemical substances, that possess a particular combination of physical and chemical
    [Show full text]
  • Insecticide Resistance After Silent Spring
    Insecticide resistance after silent spring Postprint version* David G. Heckel Published in: Science Magazine Reference: Heckel, D. G. (2012). Insecticide resistance after silent spring. Science, 337, 1612-1614. doi:10.1126/science.1226994 Web link: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/337/6102/1612.full Contact: Prof. Dr. David G. Heckel Department of Entomology Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology Beutenberg Campus Hans-Knoell-Strasse 8 D-07745 Jena Germany e-mail: [email protected] Phone: +49-3641-57 15 00 web: http://www.ice.mpg.de/ext/entomology.html *The manuscript edited after peer review (see: http://oa.mpg.de/lang/en-uk/glossar/) Insecticide Resistance after Silent Spring David G. Heckel Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology Hans-Knöll-Str. 8, D-07745 Jena, Germany E-mail: [email protected] Combating insecticide resistance is a continual challenge for the preservation of both traditional and transgenic crops. Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring, published 50 years ago (1), eloquently awoke the public to the manifold dangers for the environment and human health posed by the wanton use of chemical pesticides (2). Carson argued that in addition to their many harmful ecological effects, chemical insecticides ultimately undermine sustainable pest management: They kill the parasites and predators that formerly held many pests in check, while the pests themselves become resistant and require ever-higher amounts of sprays for their control. Since the publication of Silent Spring, more than 450 arthropod species have been reported with resistance to one or more pesticides (3). Yet over the same period, a paradigm shift in dealing with this global problem has also occurred.
    [Show full text]
  • Silent Spring, Rachel Carson and Malaria a Recent Editorial1 in Chemical and Engineering News2 Commemorated the 100Th Anniversar
    Silent Spring, Rachel Carson and Malaria A recent Editorial1 in Chemical and Engineering News2 commemorated the 100th anniversary3 of the birth of Rachel Carson and revisits her seminal book, Silent Spring4. Rachel Carson earned a Masters Degree in genetics / zoology from Johns Hopkins University in 1932. Then in 1936, she began a fifteen-year career in federal service as a biological scientist and editor and rose to the level of Editor-in-Chief of all publications for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. While working there in 1957, she became aware of the sudden death of songbirds after pesticide spraying. She researched the topic for six years, and eventually concluded that the widely used pesticide, DDT was a serious threat to the environment. In Silent Spring, she presented a scenario that led to the disappearance of many species if the use of DDT was continued. Birds were dying because they ingested food that was contaminated with DDT. Bird populations were shrinking because the DDT caused a thinning of their egg shells which led to a low survival rate. Agencies everywhere became proactive and initiated widespread bans on the pesticide. While this allowed the songbirds to thrive, it also enabled a surge in insect populations which had been held in check by the DDT. Mosquito-borne pathogens spread wildly and this led to millions of deaths from malaria5. While the book was an epiphany to the public, who embraced its principles and dire predictions, critics arose, who pointed out the flaws in her reasoning. The chief critic was, predictably, a spokesman6 for the chemical industry which saw the book’s message as a serious problem for the chemical industry.
    [Show full text]